Cotton {{2014isseeking}} election to the [[United States Senate|U.S. Senate]] seat currently held by Democrat [[Mark Pryor]] in 2014. He officially announced his candidacy on August 6, 2013.<ref>[http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2013/01/25/arkansas-rep-cotton-leaves-door-open-senate-run-2014 ''Fox News,'' "Arkansas Rep. Cotton leaves the door open for Senate run in 2014," accessed January 25, 2013]</ref><ref>[http://www.politico.com/story/2013/07/tom-cotton-arkansas-senate-run-94978.html ''Politico'', "Arkansas' Tom Cotton to run for U.S. Senate," July 31, 2013]</ref><ref name=announce>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2013/08/07/cotton-grabs-club-for-growth-endorsement-scf-open-to-backing-him/?wprss=rss_politics&clsrd ''Washington Post'', "Cotton grabs Club for Growth endorsement, SCF ‘open’ to backing him," August 7, 2013]</ref> The race between Cotton and incumbent [[Mark Pryor]] is

Cotton {{2014isseeking}} election to the [[United States Senate|U.S. Senate]] seat currently held by Democrat [[Mark Pryor]] in 2014. He officially announced his candidacy on August 6, 2013.<ref>[http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2013/01/25/arkansas-rep-cotton-leaves-door-open-senate-run-2014 ''Fox News,'' "Arkansas Rep. Cotton leaves the door open for Senate run in 2014," accessed January 25, 2013]</ref><ref>[http://www.politico.com/story/2013/07/tom-cotton-arkansas-senate-run-94978.html ''Politico'', "Arkansas' Tom Cotton to run for U.S. Senate," July 31, 2013]</ref><ref name=announce>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2013/08/07/cotton-grabs-club-for-growth-endorsement-scf-open-to-backing-him/?wprss=rss_politics&clsrd ''Washington Post'', "Cotton grabs Club for Growth endorsement, SCF ‘open’ to backing him," August 7, 2013]</ref> The race between Cotton and incumbent [[Mark Pryor]] is

one of the biggest races in 2014. Both ''Cook Political Report'' and ''Sabato's Crystal Ball'' ranked the race as a Toss Up.<ref name=cook>[http://cookpolitical.com/senate/charts/race-ratings ''Cook Political Report'', "2014 Senate Race Ratings for July 18, 2014," accessed July 29, 2014]</ref><ref name=sabato>[http://www.centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/articles/category/2014-senate/ ''Sabato's Crystal ball'', "2014 Senate Races," accessed July 29, 2014]</ref> Additionally, ''FiscalTimes'' listed it as one of the seven most vulnerable seats in the country and ''The Washington Post'' included it on their list of the top 10 races to watch in 2014.<ref name="fiscal">[http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Articles/2013/02/15/7-Senate-Seats-at-Risk-Hint-Theyre-All-Blue.aspx#page1 ''Fiscal Times'', "7 Senate Seats Most at Risk—Hint: They’re All Blue" accessed February 15, 2013]</ref>

one of the biggest races in 2014. Both ''Cook Political Report'' and ''Sabato's Crystal Ball'' ranked the race as a Toss Up.<ref name=cook>[http://cookpolitical.com/senate/charts/race-ratings ''Cook Political Report'', "2014 Senate Race Ratings for July 18, 2014," accessed July 29, 2014]</ref><ref name=sabato>[http://www.centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/articles/category/2014-senate/ ''Sabato's Crystal ball'', "2014 Senate Races," accessed July 29, 2014]</ref> Additionally, ''FiscalTimes'' listed it as one of the seven most vulnerable seats in the country and ''The Washington Post'' included it on their list of the top 10 races to watch in 2014.<ref name="fiscal">[http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Articles/2013/02/15/7-Senate-Seats-at-Risk-Hint-Theyre-All-Blue.aspx#page1 ''Fiscal Times'', "7 Senate Seats Most at Risk—Hint: They’re All Blue" accessed February 15, 2013]</ref>

Cotton sought election to the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Democrat Mark Pryor in 2014. He officially announced his candidacy on August 6, 2013.[1][2][3] The race between Cotton and incumbent Mark Pryor is
one of the biggest races in 2014. Both Cook Political Report and Sabato's Crystal Ball ranked the race as a Toss Up.[4][5] Additionally, FiscalTimes listed it as one of the seven most vulnerable seats in the country and The Washington Post included it on their list of the top 10 races to watch in 2014.[6]

Based on analysis of multiple outside rankings, Cotton is an average Republican member of Congress, meaning he will vote with the Republican Party on the majority of bills.

Biography

Cotton received a bachelor's degree from Harvard College where he served as a columnist for the Harvard Crimson, graduating magna cum laude. He went on to earn his law degree from Harvard Law School. After completing school, he was a clerk for the U.S. Court of Appeals. He then worked as a private practice attorney.

Cotton joined the United States Army and served five years of active duty. He then worked as a management consultant for McKinsey and Company.

Career

Below is an abbreviated outline of Cotton's academic, professional and political career:[7]

On January 11, 2005, Cotton joined the United States Army and entered Officer Candidate School in March 2005. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army on June 30, 2005. Cotton later attended both the U.S. Army Airborne School and Ranger School.[8] In June 2006, Cotton gained public attention after he wrote an open letter to The New York Times criticizing the paper's publication of an article detailing a Bush administration secret program monitoring terrorists' finances.[9] In 2008, he volunteered to return to combat duty, was promoted to Captain on August 1, 2008, and deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom on October 15, 2008. In Afghanistan, Cotton was assigned to Laghman Province, just north of Tora Bora in eastern Afghanistan. He was assigned duty as the operations officer of a Provincial Reconstruction Team, where he planned and resourced daily counter-insurgency and reconstruction operations for an 83-member joint and interagency team.

Cotton returned from Afghanistan on July 20, 2009. For his second tour in Afghanistan he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and various campaign/service medals. He was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army on September 26, 2009 at Fort Myer, Virginia.[8]

He served as a clerk at the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit for Judge Jerry Edwin Smith and then engaged in private practice[10] as an attorney with the law firm Gibson Dunn & Crutcher and Cooper & Kirk, where he concentrated in labor, employment, and constitutional law, in cases at all levels of state and federal courts.[8] After leaving active duty, Cotton joined McKinsey & Company, a management consulting firm. He subsequently returned to Dardanelle, where he works on his family's cattle farm.[10]

Key votes

113th Congress

The second session of the 113th Congress enacted into law 114 out of the 3,036 introduced bills (3.8 percent). Comparatively, the 112th Congress had 4.2 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the second session.[12] For more information pertaining to Cotton's voting record in the 113th Congress, please see the below sections.[13]

National security

NDAA

Cotton voted for HR 1960 - the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014. The bill passed the House on June 14, 2013, with a vote of 315 - 108. Both parties were somewhat divided on the vote.[14]

DHS Appropriations

Cotton voted for HR 2217 - the DHS Appropriations Act (2014) Act of 2014. The bill passed the House on June 6, 2013, with a vote of 245 - 182 that was largely along party lines.[15]

CISPA (2013)

Cotton voted for HR 624 - the CISPA (2013). The bill passed the House on April 18, 2013, with a vote of 288 - 127. The bill would allow federal intelligence agencies to share cybersecurity intelligence and information with private entities and utilities. The bill was largely supported by Republicans, but divided the Democratic Party.[16]

Economy

Farm bill

On January 29, 2014, the U.S. House approved the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013, H.R. 2642, also known as the Farm Bill.[17] The bill passed by a vote of 251-166. The nearly 1,000-page bill reformed and continued various programs of the Department of Agriculture through 2018. The $1 trillion bill expanded crop insurance for farmers by $7 billion over the next decade and created new subsidies for rice and peanut growers that would kick in when prices drop.[18][19] However, cuts to the food stamp program cut an average of $90 per month for 1.7 million people in 15 states.[19] Cotton voted with 62 other Republicanrepresentatives against the bill.

2014 Budget

On January 15, 2014, the Republican-run House approved H.R. 3547, a $1.1 trillion spending bill to fund the government through September 30, 2014.[20][21] The House voted 359-67 for the 1,582 page bill, with 64 Republicans and three Democrats voting against the bill.[21] The omnibus package included 12 annual spending bills to fund federal operations.[22] It included a 1 percent increase in the paychecks of federal workers and military personnel, a $1 billion increase in Head Start funding for early childhood education, reduced funding to the Internal Revenue Service and the Environmental Protection Agency and protected the Affordable Care Act from any drastic cuts. Cotton joined with the 63 other Republicans and 3 Democrats who voted against the bill.[20][21]

Government shutdown

On September 30, 2013, the House passed a final stopgap spending bill before the shutdown went into effect. The bill included a one-year delay of the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate and would have also stripped the bill of federal subsidies for congressional members and staff. It passed through the House with a vote of 228-201.[23] At 1 a.m. on October 1, 2013, one hour after the shutdown officially began, the House voted to move forward with going to a conference. In short order, Sen. Harry Reid rejected the call to conference.[24] Cotton voted to approve the stopgap spending bill that would have delayed the individual mandate.[25]

The shutdown finally ended on October 16, 2013, when the House took a vote on HR 2775 after it was approved by the Senate. The bill to reopen the government lifted the $16.7 trillion debt limit and funded the government through January 15, 2014. Federal employees also received retroactive pay for the shutdown period. The only concession made by Senate Democrats was to require income verification for Obamacare subsidies.[26] The House passed the legislation shortly after the Senate, by a vote of 285-144, with all 144 votes against the legislation coming from Republican members. Cotton voted for HR 2775.[27]

Cotton declined to accept his salary while the government was shutdown.[28]

Federal Pay Adjustment Act

Cotton voted for HR 273 - Eliminates the 2013 Statutory Pay Adjustment for Federal Employees. The bill passed the House on February 15, 2013, with a vote of 261 - 154. The bill would prevent a 0.5% pay increase for all federal workers from taking effect, saving the federal government $11 billion over 10 years.[29]

Immigration

Morton Memos Prohibition

Cotton voted for House Amendment 136 - Prohibits the Enforcement of the Immigration Executive Order. The amendment was adopted by the House on June 6, 2013, with a vote of 224 - 201. The purpose of the amendment as stated on the official text is to "prohibit the use of funds to finalize, implement, administer, or enforce the Morton Memos." These memos would have granted administrative amnesty to certain illegal aliens residing in the United States.[30] The vote largely followed party lines.[31]

Healthcare

Healthcare Reform Rules

Cotton voted for House Amendment 450 - Requires Congressional Approval for Any Rules Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The amendment was adopted by the House on August 2, 2013, with a vote of 227-185. The amendment requires that all changes to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act be approved by Congress before taking effect. The vote was largely along party lines.[32]

Social issues

Abortion

Cotton voted for HR 1797 - Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. The resolution passed the House on June 18, 2013, with a vote of 228 - 196 that largely followed party lines. The purpose of the bill is to ban abortions that would take place 20 or more weeks after fertilization.[33]

Issues

On The Issues Vote Match

On The Issues conducts a VoteMatch analysis of elected officials based on 20 issue areas. Rather than relying on incumbents to complete the quiz themselves, the VoteMatch analysis is conducted using voting records, statements to the media, debate transcripts or citations from books authored by or about the candidate. Based on the results of the quiz, Cotton is a Libertarian-Leaning Conservative. Cotton received a score of 30 percent on social issues and 89 percent on economic issues.[37]

On The Issues organization logo.

The table below contains the results of analysis compiled by staff at On The Issues.

Campaign themes

2012

Excerpt: "As an Army officer, I took an oath of office to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and I administered that oath to many soldiers. I will proudly take the same oath as your congressman..."

Promote Job Creation

Excerpt: "Beware of politicians who promise to create jobs, because only businesses and entrepreneurs—not politicians—can create jobs."

Stop the Spending and Cut the Debt

Excerpt: "Our country faces a debt crisis because of Washington’s reckless spending and borrowing. The federal debt is now $15 trillion, the size of the entire American economy."

Reduce and Simplify Taxes

Excerpt: "Our taxes are too high and too complicated. The individual and corporate tax codes distort the financial decisions of individuals and businesses, leading them to base spending, investment, and saving on tax considerations, not economic benefits."

Repeal and Replace ObamaCare

Excerpt: "ObamaCare is a job-killer, a health-care disaster, and an assault on liberty. I will fight to repeal and replace ObamaCare with free-market reforms that empower patients and doctors to make health-care decisions."

Secure Energy Independence

Excerpt: "America has the world’s largest fossil-fuel reserves in the world. I view our fossil fuels as a valuable asset to be used, not an embarrassing liability to be restrained. In Congress, I will support policies that unleash our energy producers, put America on the path to energy independence, and reduce our dependence on unreliable and hostile countries."

Protect National Security

Excerpt: "The foremost responsibility of the federal government is to provide for the common defense."

Secure the Border and Enforce Immigration Laws

Excerpt: "America is a nation of immigrants, but it is also a nation of laws. Our federal government is failing at a core duty: protecting our borders and enforcing our immigration laws. In Congress, I will oppose amnesty in all forms, fight to secure our borders, and improve enforcement of the immigration laws."

Promote Parental and Local Control in Education

Excerpt: "In Congress, I will work to empower parents with better information and more options to make the right choices for their children’s education and I will work to restore local control over our educational system."

Uphold the Second Amendment

Excerpt: "I will always defend our Second Amendment rights in Congress. As a combat veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, my soldiers and I kept our rifles and guns within arms’ reach because of a fundamental truth: at critical moments, your life depends on being armed and ready to defend yourself."

Defend Traditional Values

Excerpt: "Strong families are the cornerstones of a strong, free, and prosperous country. As your congressman, I will work to strengthen families and I will stand up for the traditional values I learned growing up on my family’s farm."

Honor Veterans

Excerpt: "I understand personally the sacrifices of our veterans and I will always ensure that we honor their service and patriotism."

Elections

2014

Cotton is a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Democrat Mark Pryor. He officially announced his candidacy on August 6, 2013.[40][3] Cotton ran unopposed in the Republican primary on May 20, 2014. He will face incumbent Mark Pryor (D), Nathan LaFrance (L) and Mark Swaney (G) in the general election on November 4, 2014. Stuart Rothenberg of Roll Call calls Pryor the most vulnerable Senator seeking re-election.[41]

Campaign donors

Comprehensive donor information for Cotton is available dating back to 2012. Based on available campaign finance records, Cotton raised a total of $2,213,218 during that time period. This information was last updated on March 22, 2013.[48]

Legal elite fundraiser

In October 2013, the D.C. law firm Gibson Dunn held a fundraiser on behalf of Cotton's campaign. Among the notable attendees were former Solicitor General Ted Olson, former National Republican Congressional Committee Chair Tom Davis and blocked appeals court nominee during the Bush administration, Miguel Estrada.[59]

2012

Breakdown of the source of Cotton's campaign funds before the 2012 election.

Cotton won election to the U.S. House in 2012. During that election cycle, Cotton's campaign committee raised a total of $2,213,218 and spent $2,094,867.[60] This is more than the average $1.5 million spent by House winners in 2012.[61]

PGI: Change in net worth

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, Cotton's net worth as of 2012 was estimated between $165,003 and $400,000. That averages to $282,501, which is lower than the average net worth of Republican representatives in 2012 of $7,614,097.96. Cotton ranked as the 323rd most wealthy representative in 2012.[62] Between 2011 and 2012, Cotton's calculated net worth[63] decreased by an average of 2 percent per year. Between 2004 and 2012, the average annual percentage increase for a member of Congress was 15.4 percent.[64]

Comparatively, the American citizen experienced a median yearly decline in net worth of -0.94%.[66]

The data used to calculate changes in net worth may include changes resulting from assets gained through marriage, inheritance, changes in family estates and/or trusts, changes in family business ownership and many other variables unrelated to a member's behavior in Congress.

Lifetime voting record

According to the website GovTrack, Cotton missed 11 of 1,072 roll call votes from January 2013 to July 2014. This amounts to 1 percent, which is better than the median of 2.5 percent among current congressional representatives as of July 2014.[69]

National Journal vote ratings

Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of Congress voted in the previous year. Click the link above for the full ratings of all members of Congress.

↑The questions in the quiz are broken down into two sections -- social and economic. In social questions, liberals and libertarians agree in choosing the less-government answers, while conservatives and populists agree in choosing the more-restrictive answers. For the economic questions, conservatives and libertarians agree in choosing the less-government answers, while liberals and populists agree in choosing the more-restrictive answers.